Testimonies – Page 17 – The GoodSeed Blog

A visit to a Thai Youth Detention Center

Thai Detention Center

A short-term missions team recently travelled to the Buddhist nation of Thailand. As part of the trip, the team visited two detention centers for youths. Altogether, they interacted with about 300 teenagers—most of whom were boys, plus a handful of girls.

The team sang songs, played games and performed a skit about Jesus to an audience who had almost no knowledge of the BIble. The team explained briefly who Jesus was, how he was crucified, and how he gained victory over sin and death. Despite the stares of the other youths, two teens responded by saying they wanted to put their trust in Jesus as their Saviour.

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Me no English!

Editor’s note: In a world where migration is the norm, our ears may hear the sounds of a foreign language just down the street. Are we prepared to share the gospel in another language right in our neighbourhood? Here is one man’s story of how he did it.

During Easter, Jason* went for a walk around his neighbourhood. It wasn’t a casual stroll, however. Jason carried a bag loaded with tools that explained the gospel. He was on a journey to offer people in his community a chance to examine the Bible and learn its message.

At one house, he rang the bell and a lady answered the door. He smiled warmly at her but she studied him with narrowed eyes.

“Me no English,” she muttered.

“Oh,” said Jason. “What language do you speak?”

“Arabic.”

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No one has ever given me a gift before!

Photo credit: Daniela Olivia Aviña on flickr

(Editor’s note: We never know what God can do when we are faithfully looking for opportunities to give away the good news.)

After church service one Sunday morning, Kevin* met a young Chinese lady who had just arrived in the U.S. to attend university. They chatted for a few minutes and Kevin found out she was taking a course on environmental issues.

“I just happen to have a book on environmental issues that I think you’ll enjoy,” he said. “I’ll pass it to you next week.”

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27 groups and counting!

The Stranger Videobook

(Editor’s note: Many retired people have time on their hands. How can they use their time to be effective ambassadors for Christ? Here is Kevin and Seana’s story.)

We met an elderly couple who had recently ordered two cases of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. Kevin and Seana* were retired, but they were putting their time to good use by getting involved in a ministry that helped new international students settle into their city. Kevin and Seana helped the students find accommodation and get furniture. They showed the students around town, and even helped them find supermarkets that stocked familiar foods.

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We’ve been praying for nearly a year

"The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus" DVD

Here is a story from our archives. It’s from June* who works in a pregnancy resource centre.

We are a small Pregnancy Resource Centre and we’ve spent nearly a year praying for the right tool to use as a consistent, easy-to-understand, starting point in sharing the Bible with our clients. We have gospel bracelets that serve their purpose in the counselling rooms, but wanted something that would enable us to spend time with our clients and give us opportunity to build relationships.

To make a long (but interesting!) story short, the Lord led us to The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus about one and a half years ago. We’ve incorporated it into our “Points Program” by giving each client a book and workbook (and Bible if they don’t have one). We run group Bible study classes at our centre where we watch The Stranger DVD and discuss questions and answers in the workbook for two hours each week. We do this over a nine-week period. Typically, we run two Bible study sessions a day!

So again I say thank you. “The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus” has been an answer to our prayers!

As June discovered, we designed our tools so that any believer can use them to share the gospel. We are happy that June and her team were able to make good use of the book, workbook and the videobook.

(*Name changed as per GoodSeed policy.)

Easy enough for a burned-out mind like mine to understand.

(Editor’s note: Upfront it seems difficult to guide someone through a study of the Bible. But what if you had to deal with troubled teens? How do you hold their attention? How do you explain the Bible’s truth in a way that they can understand? Learn how George used the Worldview Rethink tools to do just that.)

Recently, George* finished a Worldview Rethink course with teenage boys from a resident recovery program. These boys were aged between 13-18 and were struggling with life-controlling issues like behavioral problems, substance abuse and more. The Worldview Rethink curriculum provided an easy and clear way to teach the Bible’s message to these troubled youths.

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God used his magic wand!

magic wand

(Editor’s note: When we create our tools, we do our best to ensure the text itself explains the gospel clearly. Even a young person who can read aloud can lead another through the gospel. This is Jessie’s story.)

Gloria’s* seven-year-old daughter, Jessie, recently started asking questions like “Who made the world? Where did people come from?” As a child, Gloria had gained some Bible knowledge from her Grandma and from summer camps, but now all she could tell Jessie was “God made the world.”

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Why wouldn’t I believe!

Coffee heart

What would you do if your son or daughter was interested in someone of a different worldview? Learn how one father in Australia lovingly provided a way for a young man to explore the Bible’s worldview and see what God did in this young man’s life.

We recently received an email from Greg* in Australia. He related to us how his son-in-law, Kyle,* came to put his trust in Jesus. When Kyle had been serving in the military, he had wanted to date Greg’s daughter, Megan*. She was interested in Kyle, but unwilling to date an unbeliever. Her father also made it clear to Kyle that he did not approve of a relationship. But Greg offered Kyle an opportunity to get an understanding of what the Bible is about so Kyle could understand Megan’s faith.

Kyle said he was willing to explore the Bible and so Greg led a study with Kyle and Megan. They got together to read through By This Name. Greg was understandably skeptical about Kyle’s level of interest. Was this just Kyle’s way of getting over the family’s objections? Was Kyle being sincere in wanting to investigate the Bible? Kyle had never been to any church and he had no knowledge of the Bible. He wasn’t even religious in any way. But Greg pushed ahead with the study.

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Only God is able to penetrate the minds of the young and old

100 Years Old

Editor’s note: How can we share the gospel with an elderly person, especially one who suffers from dementia or another condition that limits the clarity of the mind? Doug Nichols, Founder and International Director Emeritus of Action International Ministries, has found a good way to share the gospel with such senior citizens. He and his wife Margaret read aloud “The Lamb” and managed to share a clear gospel with a group of elderly folks. Now that’s inspiring! Read on as Doug shares the story:

My 100 year-old father-in-law resides in a home-care facility with five other residents (Dad calls them “inmates!”). Even though the facility owners are Christians, we have been praying about how to share the gospel and minister to these elderly residents. Many have Alzheimer’s, dementia, or are otherwise slow in their thinking. Recently, my wife Margaret began reading the children’s picture book, The Lamb to six residents after lunch. They could hardly wait for each session. It was excellent!

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The gospel smashed into my heart

Photo credit: Willem van Bergen on flickr

Out of the blue, we received a phone call last week. It was from a gentleman named Manuel* who lives in the US. He said he was prompted by God to share his story with us.

Manuel related that he became a believer 30 years ago but his life took a dramatic turn when he attended one of our TERM Seminars in Idaho. He was brought through The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus and he said he really “bumped into the meaning of God.” He fell in love with the book and sought to use it to explain the gospel to others.

His first two students were his mum and dad. They were impacted by the message. His dad said the gospel “smashed into my heart” and made him realize how much of a sinner he was.

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